


Lia's Struggle

by minimi22



Series: Ninth World [1]
Category: Ninth world
Genre: Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Magic, Mild Gore, teen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-11-04
Packaged: 2019-07-04 18:13:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15846690
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimi22/pseuds/minimi22
Summary: We believe the world is what surrounds us when in truth there is much more to it. Lia was a normal human girl when suddenly she got dragged to the Ninth world, an unforgiving place were fighting and making allies is necessary for survival, join her as she does her best to survive, help others and maybe change things for the best.





	1. Beginning

**_The accidental warp_ **

The alarm is annoying, why? Why is the weekend already gone? I just want to sleep. A large sigh escaped me as I sat on the bed, anyway can't I just skip school for today? I thought about it for a while however I promised Mom that I would not and even if I didn't tell her she would know I did. I yawned and stood up, Well what can I do? After entering the bathroom I noticed I had not washed my hair in some time so I decided to clean it "Jeez it’s hard to clean my messy hair,  thank God it’s not really that long".

Afterwards I went on to clean the rest of my body, it was quite disappointing as always, I didn’t had anything special to me, just plane old me with nothing to show or be proud of. While I was bathing I received a message from mom, basically what it said was to remember to do the mundane task I always had to do at home. After all mom was an extremely busy women, she would rarely be at home and dad wasn’t any different. How things were I could say I live alone and I wouldn’t be telling a complete lie, since last time I saw them was a week and a month ago respectively.

Finally, I managed to reach the school just in time as the bell rang, to think that I would be late again, however this time I made it just in time. While I was going on about my thoughts I saw Dan, so I ran a little bit more to reach him. He has been my friend ever since I got into highschool, and we get along great, some people say he is cold but nothing can be further from the truth, you just have to get to know him.

However when I touched his shoulder something really weird happened, a beam of light irradiated from it, the light was so bright I got blinded for a few seconds. When I finally recovered my sight I was in a complete different place, even with different clothes, but the worst part was that I saw Dan about fifteen meters away from me, holding a gigantic sword. Where the hell am I?

**_First fighting experience_ **

As I began to look around it was pretty obvious I was no longer in school, for that matter I doubt I was anywhere near it. All I could see around me were sharp rocks and tiny spurts of grass that grew out of them, there were no trees either. The more I looked around the weirder this new landscape looked to me, at least the sky was something familiar, big blue and filled with puffy white clouds. 

As I kept glancing at It I noticed there were not one or two but three suns close together. For sure I was no longer on earth, I moved my eyes back to the landscape around me and I began to spot some weird plants of in the distance, they somewhat resemble oak trees but with a much darker colour and instead of leaves they were completely covered in thorns. 

I kept looking around me, not daring to take a single step, to tell the truth I didn’t know why I wasn’t panicking, perhaps my brain couldn’t process what had just happened, it was too surreal. As I kept surveying my surroundings I spotted something in the distance that surprised me, was it Dan? for sure it was him.

I could only stare at Dan. He looked different as well, as if he had been dragged straight out of a video game, with what looked like plated armor, the only thing that broke that stetic were his deep blue scarf and belt of the same color. I also noticed he was holding a metal shield? I wasn’t so sure since it had what looked like a sharp blade at its bottom.

Why is he standing there and more importantly why does he look that? Suddenly I heard a clash and saw a massive spark coming from the shield at the same time that Dan moved. He’s expresión had changed, he looked confident far more than ever before. A laugh? why is Dan laughing? and just as I thought that I heard his voice.

"You're so pathetic my friend, and to think that it was you the one who challenged me!" as he said that I felt scared, was that really Dan? Another sword clash, this one was louder, suddenly, everything I could hear were the loud sword clashes. What should I do? That question clouded my mind, the more I thought of it the more I felt that time itself was slowing down, allowing me to think.

I looked once more at the fight, now I was able to see the creature that Dan was fighting, a demon. That was the only thing I could think of, it looked a lot like a human but it had horns and a weird looking tail, almost as if it had been taken out of a movie or something of that sort. Will Dan be able to defeat it? a new question flourished in my mind but it’s answer became clear, he would not.

The demon's sword was going straight for his neck and there was no way he could block it in time, I was scared but I could not let him die like that. A rock! I picked it up and threw it with all I had, amazingly they had not moved an inch, was time frozen? The rock stroke the demon's sword with such strength it managed to deviate it. Time sped up again and in a slash, Dan managed to cut it in half before it disappeared into thin smoke.

Is it over?

**_Learning about the world_ **

He managed to defeat it, I was so glad. In an instant I felt exhausted, my head started hurting, I was just about to fall onto the floor as I felt my limbs going numb, my sight began to fade away too, but I somehow managed to remain standing. I was doing my best to keep myself conscious, and after recovering a little I saw Dan standing there two or three meters from me. I was afraid, but why?

He had been my friend for such a long time, however I couldn't help myself. I was startled, could this be a dream? Doubt it, it felt so real. Calm down and think what could all of this mean, if it's not a dream and in fact it was real, then, was Dan a good guy or a bad guy?

No! I can't think like that! Dan is my friend, there is no way he is a bad guy, "Lia?" Dan had finally spoken, at least he remembered my name. "Lia, is that really you? Why the hell are you here?!?" his tone had changed from confused to annoyed or rather afraid, angry?

"Dan, where the hell are we !?!"I couldn't help but scream, I had lost my composure and started panicking "calm down, calm down, I will explain everything but first calm down" he said that as I, in my despair, had kept on screaming "this is a fucking joke! fuck! there is no way this is real, no fucking way on hell!" he seemed rather calm now, and I guess that's what made me calm down as well, however I think I did cry a little.

"Dan, where are we?" I asked again, but with a much calmer tone, "we are in the ninth world, Lia" he said, in a tone that made me anxious. "this world was made as a battleground where we, the creations of the eight gods fight to prove that our species is better than the ones of the other gods" he explained in such a way and with such seriousness that I couldn't help but believe him "the gods choose the people who come here to fight in the name of their world and god" he kept on going "our god is Gaia, the goddess of the earth".

I could not believe what I was hearing "hang on a second, does that mean that I was chosen to fight?" there was no way for me to believe it, the part of the ninth world is kinda understandable since I am right here right now, but me? a fighter? don't make me laugh, Dan is extremely good at sports, not to mention that he is pretty good at fighting, not that I am proud that he is but I guess this would be an exception, as for me though, well, let's just say that my P.E score is one of the lowest in the class.

"Not necessarily" he replied with hope in his fake smile, so there was hope "what do you mean?" I replied almost instantly "well this is a theory of mine, I mean you really are in a bad shape if we are talking about physical capabilities, and I doubt you are a mage since you aren't that intelligent either" that last part came as a whisper for himself, I didn't complain though, I know it's the truth and he even acknowledges it too "okay I get it, just tell me the theory already" I was impatient "maybe, just maybe you were dragged here by me when I was summoned here" I knew that much "and that means?"

He was too slow at explaining and I was starting to lose my cool again "that if I port back I may be able to drag you back with me in the same way I brought you here" that made sense, kinda "I guess it could work, then let's go back" he looked at me with an apologetic expression "emmm, well, we, can't" He said rather troubled "why?!"

I was truly losing my patience "because to port back to our world we need to use the port shard at the capital" there is always something else and wait "the capital? you know what? I don't care! let's just get to that "capital" and go home already". Dan looked at me and then pointed towards a direction "okay then, it’s over this way".

**_Chosen_ **

"So what is this capital you talked about?" I asked while taking a rest, we had already walked around six kilometers without stopping. "The capital is like, emmm, imagine a huge city which is the home base of the species" his explanation was simple enough "so, in other words, it's like the place where all the people of the same species live, right?" he nodded "yes, every species has one" as we talked a new question appeared in my mind "Also, why did you say that me being here could be a mistake?" I was still wondering that since he said only the chosen ones came here to fight.

"Well, that would be because you don't have a minoken." and as expected there was more than meets  the eye "A minoken? what's that?" now I was even more confused "A minoken is an enchanted weapon, there are many types of minokens, for example, mine is a great shield that I have decided to call The Wall, it's an elite level minoken that's both defensive and offensive" he seemed excited for some reason, it seemed as if he was having fun "Why would the fact that I don't have one mean that I came here by mistake?"

I had a theory but I would rather know for sure "Whenever someone comes here for the first time they instantly appear with one, normally it would be suited for their strength and skill, that is like a rule, moreover they would also appear at the capital not in the middle of nowhere" so it was kind of what I thought "now I get it" so the fact that I didn't get a minoken would mean that I don't have to fight, that is clever I guess" even though it seemed simple Dan had a troubled expression  "But I could be wrong too" he seemed worried "what do you mean?"

This world was already bothering me, there was always something else and things were never simple "There are some minokens that are sealed because of their power, so sometimes, in very rare occasions, someone will appear without one because of this. So that is a possibility too" that means I am not in the safe zone just yet “is there no other way to properly know if someone was chosen or not?"

Dan scratched the back of his head before answering  "There is one, if you have the symbol of the human race, the symbol of Gaia, it would mean that you were chosen" that seems simple enough "and where does that symbol appear?" he took off his scarf while talking "It appears randomly in your body, mine is in the right side of my neck, come take a look".

If I had to describe the symbol I'd say it was rather simple, it had two hands holding a sword, in the background you could see a moon and sun, each illuminating one side of the sword. "Wow, so I should have one too, right? I mean, if I was chosen of course" Dan nodded slightly before talking "yes, but I don't see it right now so it is possible that it is hidden under your clothes" right after he said that I blushed so badly that I had to turn around, why did I blush?

It’s simple really, at that moment I realized my clothes were at most a sleeveless shirt, which left my belly button exposed, and shorts, so it showed much more skin than I would have ever wanted to, moreover this “symbol” was underneath the few cloths I had. "I will search for it but turn around, I don't want you to see me naked" as I finished Dan blushed a bit before answering "okay then" he turned around, but that didn't relieve my embarrassment. Anyway, the faster I started looking the faster it would be over.

At first I took off the shorts, of course not completely, it wasn't in my legs, I even looked under my panties, it wasn't there either. Fun fact: I used the reflection from Dan's shield like minoken to look if it was on my butt and it wasn't. Now the shirt, I swear to God that if Dan dares to peek I will murder him with that minoken of his, I partially took it off, I didn't know what to think after I did, whether or not to be happy or sad, it was there, in my chest, just above my heart.

"I, I found it." I said while I dressed again "For real? this is rather bad" he seemed disappointed "Why were you so afraid of me being chosen?" I couldn't help it, the question came out of my mouth without me being able to stop it "Because you may die here" Death, so that's why he was afraid, he had always taken good care of me, and he was afraid I would lose my life, after all he was like my big brother, or at least he acted like it "Do you mean that, that guy you were fighting before, died?"

I was sure I saw him killing that, thing "probably not" he responded with a straight serious face "but how? I saw you cutting him in half" there was no way someone could survive that, demon or not "surely he had more Favor" he responded "Favor?" what even is that "Yes, you see, in this world you can revive, but that costs Favor.

You get a Favor when you fully kill someone, for example, you have right now you don't have any, in my case, I have three." three Favor? Dan has taken three lives in cold blood? I guess in this world it truly is kill or be killed "Is that so, then that guy lost one Favor when you killed him, but he will revive." that is rather a scary thought "That's right. Come on, let's keep on walking, we have another six kilometers or so to go".

**_The Capital_ **

We talked about other things while walking, for example why this world resembled so much a video game. He explained that in fact it was the other way around, when you go back to the normal world you keep your memories as if they were but a dream, so the creators of video games based their games on those memories, as inspiration.

Finally, we arrived at the capital, it took us around four hours and I am extremely exhausted. The quote on quote path was a complete nightmare, the ground was so hot I could feel it through my shoes and the fact that from time to time I would step on a sharp enough rock to pierce the sole of my shoes didn’t help either, but it was worth it.

The place looked amazing, almost as If I had dived head first into a fantasy castle, a absolutely massive fantasy castle. The wall that surrounded it was tall, really tall, if I had to guess I had say it was around a hundred meters tall if not more. Its with was nothing to laugh about either, I don’t even think I could give an educated guess of it. As we went through the gate I felt my jaw drop, it was so thick the insides had to be lit up by torches, I had say thirty meters wouldn’t be too bad of a guess.

Past the wall we were greeted by a brick road surrounded by houses and business, some were made of wood, others of stone however most of them had a mixture between the two. From time to time I would see children running around, playing, so I began to wonder “Dan, is everybody here also chosen?”

He smiled, maybe even laugh a little before responding “no, not everyone, you see, this world has been going for a long time, so some of the people that were in fact chosen had children, and those children grew up and had children of their on and non of them were chosen, they simply live here, and have no obligation to fight, heck they could even go to the original world and live there, but most don’t this is their home after all.

As we kept walked through the streets Dan told me that since I have been chosen, I can't go around without a minoken, otherwise I would get killed without even putting up a fight. "But didn't you say minokes were unique to their owners?" he simply smiled, it was a mocking smile, one he knew bothered me extremely.

"well yes and no. Elite, epic and legendary minokens get bound to the users soul when they come in contact for the first time, or at least that is the theory. The only way to sever this link is by death, however it can also be passed to another person willingly if said person is compatible and accepted by the minoken. however common and rare minokens lack this property and can be used by anyone" once more I could compare this bizarre world to a video game, to tell the truth it was somewhat comforting.

As soon as we entered the store I was pleasantly surprised by how spacious and organised it was, on the front there was a counter with a few weapons in display, swords, axes, spears, amongst others. I also notice a few hanging on the wall, and as my eyes wondered I was taken by surprise when they landed on the large bearded man behind the counter.

The man greeted us happily "Welcome to Champie's minoken store! How can I help you today, sir?" as he finished I looked at Dan but he wasn’t losing any time "well my friend here is new and she did not get a minoken, so what can you offer?" for some reason I felt ashamed when he said that I didn't have one " I see, well, we have a couple of rare and common ones over there" He pointed to a large stash of minokens, all of them had different shapes and colors, but none of them were of my liking, at least not at first sight.

"Okay, go check them and see if there is one that suits you" Dan said while pointing in the direction of the minokens in a kind manner. "Help" I heard a small whisper in my head. "Save me" There it was again, but where did it come from? I guess I could just ignore it "Did you find anything you like, young miss?" The old shop seller said "Not really" I replied kinda disappointed "Help me" I heard it again, but this time, this time it sounded more, desperate, where could it come from?

I went out of the shop without saying a word "Save me" It seemed that I could hear it more clearly out in the street "Where are you?" I whispered "Help me please" I wasn’t heard, and from the look of it nobody else could hear the call for help either "Rescue me" This time it seemed as if it came from the center of the capital, and before I noticed I was walking towards it, "Can you hear me?" my heart began to accelerate, but why? That's right, I was running now, I don't know why but I felt despair, I felt that I needed to reach this voice that was calling for me.

"Lia wait where do you think you are going?!?" Dan screamed, I could feel his concern, but I couldn't stop, I kept on running and the voice became clearer and clearer "Help, rescue me, save me, I don't want to be alone anymore, I know you are there, don't leave me" it kept on. I was being guided towards a huge building and it seemed like a public place.

Entering this tower like structure, I was greeted by the sight people everywhere buying and selling stuff, amongst other things, and in the middle a massive stone with what seemed like a minoken stuck on top of it. Compared to those in the shop, or rather to all the minokens I had seen thus far it was beautiful, the edge of the blade had a golden glow, and its center was made of a white metal, it was bright white. If I had to compare it I would say it was as white as light itself.

"Help me please" I heard it come from the minoken, I could feel how my heart was impatient to go and take it out of the rock that was keeping it prisoner. I walked forward, it was well guarded so I went towards the guards and asked them about the sword. "Rescue me" I was sure now, it was calling to me "Sorry, but you will have to wait a little longer" I whispered to myself.

"This minoken became stuck in this rock after it’s last owner died in the last attack to the capital, you can pay a fee of one silver coin if you want to try your luck, but you will probably fail, I mean, you don't look that strong and I myself already tried it" the guard seemed confident about my failure but I still had to try "I will pay" I gave the guard the only silver coin I had, before entering the capital Dan gave it to me, just in case I got lost, how convenient "Okay, go on, you have a minute to try and take it out but I doubt you will be able to" he said with an awful grin on his face.

I climbed the rock, the timer would start as soon as I placed my hand on the handle, "will you help me?" now I was pretty sure it was the minoken who had been calling to me for help. As I placed my hand on it I could feel a slight breeze flowing all around me, I closed my eyes and finally answered in a whisper "yes, I will help you"

I concentrated and as I did I felt something flowing throughout me, a smile escaped from my face and with a small amount of force I started pulling it out. As the blade slided out of the rock I could feel what had started as a gentle breeze become a gush of wind and finally when the blade was completely free a massive burst of wind.

"Thank you" I could hear it clearly "um, it’s nothing" I answered. I didn't realize until a couple of seconds later that I was now in fact holding a minoken, does this mean that it’s now mine? the question didn’t last too long unanswered as the minoken began to speak once more "I offer you my services for freeing me, what is your name?" this time it’s tone was calmer, more confident "My name is Lia" I responded while somewhat admiring the beautiful sword "well Lia, I will ask of you to become my new master" master, so it was truly mine now, I was dumbstruck but after a while I gave the only answer possible "I gladly accept your offer”.

“What is your name?" what kind of stupid question is that? It's a sword, it does not have a name, does it? "My name?" It seemed startled by the question and gave a long sigh before answering "it has been such a long time since someone has asked me my name that I don't remember it, but I guess you could call me Seinaru" so it does have a name but it’s kinda hard to pronounce "that's a little long, can I call you Naru?" after awhile she finally responded "Very well".


	2. Learning

**_The holy minoken. cap6_ **

I looked at my surroundings, everybody was staring at me, some with jealousy others with awe. To tell the truth I didn’t fully understand the situation nor the implications that came with it, but I at least understood that had performed a deed that no one was able to do before me. As I climbed down I could see Dan running through the same arch I had gone through before "Lia, what happened? What's all this commotion about?"

As he said that his sight shifted towards what I had in my hands, the minoken and it’s sheath "Is that what I think it is?!" He said as his sight swiftly changed towards the rock behind me "Did you really pulled it out?!" he seemed impatient as he placed his hands on my shoulders putting a small amount of pressure on his grip.

"Yes I did it, I just heard it calling for help, so I came here and did it" I could see in his eyes how surprised he was. "Remember what I told you back then, when we were walking?" I did remember, he said that my weapon could have been sealed, so does this mean that this minoken was mine from the very beginning?

"Yes, I do remember" I said it to try and calm him down, he was extremely excited as if he had seen a supernatural creature or something. He looked at me "You don't get it do you?" he said rather annoyed "What you have in your hands right now is a legendary holy minoken, one of the strongest types" legendary, holy, I was confused again.

We walked out of the building and went to a so called “training area". There was a lot of people and some weird scarecrow looking training dummies. "What are we doing here?" I didn't get this whole thing of the minoken rarity. "We are here to train you, now that you have a minoken, the most appropriate thing to do is train so you may use it to its fullest" that’s what he said, but I could see the truth in his shining excited eyes, he just wanted to see me using this, legendary minoken. "Don't worry so much, you will get used to this in no time, just relax and let the power stored inside you flow" I could hear Naru’s voice inside my head, it was calming and reassuring.

Just as she said that I relaxed and looked at the dummy that was in front of me, I attacked it once, then twice, before I knew it I was hitting it over and over again, there was a somewhat loud wind like noise all around us and the dummy barely moved. I looked at my hand and the minoken, they were glowing faintly, not to mention the breeze. I stopped and so did the wind like noise, the dummy fell into pieces behind me, and I felt exhausted, so exhausted that I fell onto the floor. I was gasping for air, I felt like I was going to die. Even so, it wasn't all that bad, I could feel this new power flowing inside me, it felt great.        

**_Getting ready. cap7_ **

"astounding."

A voice said with glee as slow clapping came after it the voice was that of a woman yet it felt heavy and filled with confidence, I turned around to see who she was. Her clothing consisted of some pretty heavy looking armour "That was a really good show" she said while giving a few more claps "I do see some potential in you". Who is this woman? And did she really mean that?

She must have seen the doubt in my face since the next thing spoken by her was "Oh, sorry for my rudeness, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Clara Schaden one of the five commanders of the human race, but please just call me Clara" she was smiling while offering her hand to help me stand up " My name is Lia Velavi, please call me Lia".

We talked for a while, Dan told her most of what had happened until that point, I learned a couple of things about her too, for example, her minoken is a long, thin sword I believe it's called a saber, and she got to be a commander by ruining an attempt to take a human settlement made by the giant race. "Dan, right? So what you are saying is that her minoken is the holy legendary one that was stuck?"

He nodded before responding "pretty much, yes" I was still exhausted, yet I could not stop listening to them "Well you should get some armour for her too, after all, she can't go around without any protection, I know a good shop for armour, I got mine from there" I guess getting armour would be really good after all, but I wouldn't like anything as heavy as hers, I mean, if I get this tired with only these light clothes I don't want to know how it would be with all that extra weight.

"I think that is a good idea but I don't think I can wear something that heavy" as I said that she looked at her armour and smiled "Don't worry about it, there are many types of armour, I bet we can find one that suits you" she took my hand while saying that and started dragging me with her, of course Dan followed us. We walked for a couple of minutes and reached a store, it truly had many types of armours after all.

"Good afternoon, we have anything you need, in terms of armour that is." I started looking around and saw many awesome armours but most of them were plate armour, in other words, extremely heavy and expensive. I kept on looking until I found what I was looking for, just as I saw it I knew it was meant for me. 

Leather armour, it was really light yet sturdy, all of it was made of hardened leather except for the chest peace which had a thin layer of steel plating on top of it. Another thing to point out was the nice mixture of colours, mostly black with red outlining. The steel plating was eye catching too, outlined with a slight yellow tint, the smith probably applied some brass to give it such a nice finish, not to mention it was so well polish I could clearly see my reflection, truly a masterpiece, or at least that’s my opinion .  

"Have you found anything?" Dan said while he walked my way, noticing how I was admiring the armour in front of me "so you want to buy this one?" I nodded, my sight was completely pinned onto the armour, I couldn't help but to think it was awesome. Dan looked at its price tag before buying it for me.

I promise him, I would pay him back as soon as possible, I don't want to owe him anything or rather, I don't like to owe anything to anyone. As soon as it was bought I tried it out, "it does suit you, you look pretty cool" Clara said with a smile on her face, I looked at myself in a nearby mirror, it did suit me, it even combined with Naru’s sheath.

"Well, now that you are ready, I will assign you your first task personally. You see, we've been having trouble with some monsters right outside the city walls in the east forest, I want you to eliminate them, Dan, this goes for you too" A mission? I have to eliminate monsters? "But I don't know how to fight!" Clara simply smirked mischievously before rejecting my complaint "that's not what you showed me at the training ground, I already made my mind, and it’s not as hard as you think, so give it a try". I was given my first mission already, I am a little scared but also excited.

**_Fear. cap8_ **

Dan and I departed after gathering some supplies, I was concerned with what kind of monsters we would find and that made my fear grow with every step we took deeper into the forest. "Dan, what are these monsters we are going to fight?" Dan looked at me with a concerned face "I am not sure, the report was vague but from what I know I can guess they probably are ecferos" I had never heard of a name like that, much less knew what it was but just looking at how worried he was, it couldn’t be good.

Paws with sharp and long claws swiped  my arms,, the smell of rotten flesh got right next to my face, we had been ambushed. As we walked, a large group of ecferos attacked us, one of them threw me straight onto the floor and placed its paws on my arms and growled right in front of my face, I got terrified.

I could not reach my minoken and Dan was getting overwhelmed by them, I could feel fear all over my body, my heart was beating without control, I could feel something inside me, it was growing stronger and stronger as I tried to break free. I felt as if my skin was being ripping apart, I screamed in pain as I got covered in blood but it wasn't mine. The massive body of the ecferos fell over me, stabbed through its chest by my left arm, I tried to move it out of the way but I felt weak, as if I was about to faint.

"Lia!" I could hear Dan's voice, my mind was all fuzzy and I could barely see or hear anything, I slowly started recovering "Lia! are you alright!?" I could hear him clearly now but there was another voice, it was far away, very far away. I finally recovered and moved out the ecferos' body.

I could finally see it with detail, it was like a giant bear but its claws were much larger, I had to say they are as long as my forearm, its fangs were no joke either, they were spread in two rows and its measure was a couple inches long. I reacted, I was in battle after all, and I did just in time because another ecferos was moving straight towards me, I took Naru and slashed straight through it.

I felt as if cutting butter, but with every slash I felt even more tired, I had already killed another two of them and Dan had killed even more than me. They retreated, I was exhausted, it had been a long fight but we had won and I was happy because of that, while I rested I felt uneasy about some things, for example, how did I kill the one I had on top of me? and most importantly, what was that voice I heard? what did it say? I was confused but I didn't mention anything to Dan. I didn't want him to worry even more.

"It's dark, I don't like it when it's so dark," the voice, it was back, and I could hear it clearly now, where is it coming from? who is this girl? it kind of reminded me of naru but it couldn’t be she is with me now, my confusion only grew the more I thought about it. "Lia, I think this is dangerous" I could hear Naru's voice, her tone was concerning, as if she feared something, as if she knew something.

"What is wrong?" I whispered barely making any sound. "This forest has a lot of demonic energy to it, that is the polar opposite to our type of energy, I have already felt as if it had got into you and that is what worries me, and to make it even worse that little girl's voice, don't get even near to trusting it" so she could hear it too it seemed Dan was the only one unable to do so.

Run, run faster! "Please get me out, I am scared" I could hear the voice cry and every time she did I felt like my heart was being ripped apart just like when Naru was calling out to me, Naru opposed me trying to search for it, but I couldn't help it any longer.

I ran faster than ever, using Naru's wind magic I went running in the voice's direction "sorry Dan, but I will have to leave you for a while" I said before taking off. I came to a cave's entrance, the voice was coming from inside and I was going to rescue whoever was trapped in there.

**_The cave. cap9_ **

"Do not enter the cave!" I could hear Naru scream in my head, she seemed desperate "I can't leave her alone!" I argued "what if it's a trap? what if you die in there!?" perhaps it was but I was willing to take the risk "and what if it's not? what if it’s someone like you, that is sad and alone, someone that needs help that no one else can offer?" I stopped for a moment we needed to resolve this.

"but it is not!" her yelling in my head gave me a bit of a headache but I was unwilling to stop "You know what? Nothing you tell me will change my mind and if you are too scared I will leave you right here while I come back" it seemed that my last words were a little too much for her.

"I will not stay behind! I promised loyalty to you and more important than that, what kind of useless weapon would I be If I can't be used to fight! it's just, I don't want to lose you too, I don’t want to be alone again, I don't want to be forgotten once more" I comprehend what she meant, waiting for her new master for so long to end up losing her so soon, it must be a terrifying thought "Don't worry, you won't" I smiled, I am not sure if she could see me but I felt as if she had smiled back, "I trust you".

We entered the cave, it was dark, the only light that could be seen was Naru's, she always had this slight shine in her, and now it was really useful. "who's there? please help me" I heard the girl's voice, this time it was softer, as if she was losing her hope. Fire, a massive ball of it was shot our way, I managed to dodge it barely, however I was blinded slightly bye how the entire place light up afterwards.

Now I could see the abomination that lived in here, a Dragon, a rotting one. Its body had parts missing and the smell was gross. it attacked me with its tail and somehow I managed to avoid it. I cut and cut but no matter how much I did, it would not stop moving "we need to get out of here" Naru concerned voice echoed in my mind "sorry Naru, but I won't leave that girl alone no matter what".

The fight kept on going until I realized there were some stalactites hanging on the roof, I leaped onto the air and with a quick slash I cut some of them off, they pierced the dragon's neck  and abdomen pinning it to the ground, it could still move but not fight at least for now.

As soon as I landed I went straight for its head cutting it off with a clean slash, that should "buy us some time" Naru said hastily "it's not dead?!" I replied panicked "it's not dead it's undead, it won't die until whatever keeps it moving is stopped" I nodded and ran away.

I kept going further down the cave until I saw the owner of the voice. "please help me it hurts so much" her cries for help filled my body and mind with the strength to keep going, and I saw her, chained. They glowed with a dark purple aura that moved around and outwards from the prisoner, as if sucking the power out from her.

I broke the chains with my own hands since Naru would not allow me to use her to do so "stop! you don't know what you are doing!!" she screamed, I simply ignored her. My hands started to bleed while trying to free her, but that would not hold me back. I kept going, I grabbed her and whispered "You are finally free".

**_Demonic minoken. cap10_ **

I could feel a surge of power as my mind was being dragged somewhere else "You saved me, thank you so much" I heard the girl's voice again, she was happy "It was nothing, I couldn't leave you there" my hands still ached and after a few seconds I heard her voice again "I would like to ask something of you" ask something? what could it be? my head was fuzzy, I could hear her but she was nowhere near "I would like it if you became my master" master? What did she mean? "no!! she is my master and I won't be handing her to you!!" Naru seemed really angry about what was going on.

I snapped back looking onto my hands, in my right hand there was Naru, and in my left there was a black and red minoken. "I don't want to be left again, she is the only one that has been able to wield me in two hundred years"  they kept arguing and it was dragging me crazy "shut up!!!" I screamed, finally, there was silence, they were driving me crazy with all that fighting inside my head "Lia, she is a legendary demonic minoken, we don't know what she could be up to" as soon as Naru finished the other minoken replied "I swear I am up to no evil, I just want to get out of here, I have been all alone, please take me with you" in that sense she is just like Naru "what is your name?" again with the same question, but I guess if Naru has one she should to, right? "my name? I, I am called Daeni" so she does have a name, good "Alright Daeni, I will take you with me, I trust in your word" Naru gasped slightly before talking "Lia,are you sure?" I wasn’t but if I didn’t show confidence this situation would only get worse "don't worry so much" I didn't know if this was a good idea nor what would I do with her after we were out, but there was no time for that.

When I finally decided to head back, another unexpected encounter took place, I couldn't escape nor kill them, what was going on? We were walking towards the exit when these clay monsters appeared, I dodged their attacks but they were too many, maybe five or six, their hands were hard as rock just like the rest of their bodies and they weren't slow either. I got hit by one and it felt as if I tried to kiss a moving truck but I could not stop, I kept dodging but every time I broke one it would just repair itself "use me" I heard Daeni’s voice, Could it be a trap? Or was she actually willing to help, at any rate, I had no time, with my left hand I took her out, feeling my power and hers combine. I was faster and stronger, I kept hitting them as fast as I could and as did they began to slow down the rate at which they could fix themselves.

"The core destroy it" Naru spoke a little agitated, I could see it or at least I think I could, it looked like a dyed crystal ball. I shattered them one by one and they stopped moving. "Lia, you are wielding us at the same time?" Naru said in amusement, I saw my hands, in fact, I was using them both "it looks like it" I said nonchalantly as I started to feel exhausted and fell on the floor gasping for air "this is incredible how did you do that" do what? does she mean wield both of them? to tell the truth I didn't understand what was so amazing about it, "is that something I should not do?" I slowly regain my breath but was still tired "of course you aren’t supposed to, we are legendary minokens, the strain a single one of us puts on its user's body is huge, for someone to be able to wield both of us is nothing near normal" Daeni responded with the same amused tone, the were complimenting each other's sentences maybe they weren’t that different after all "not to mention that we are opposites and as such, we use opposite magical powers, to think that someone can sustain generating demonic and holy power at the same time is unthinkable!" I smiled as a somewhat funny thought came to my mind "huh, is that so, I do feel like I ran a marathon".

"does this mean I can keep both of you?" they kept quiet for a while but after a few minutes Naru finally spoke "I guess, but I would like to put some conditions" instantly Daeni replied "the same goes for me" now who knows what kind of conditions there will be "since I was with her first, I want to be on her right hand" my right hand? oh maybe Naru thinks it's my dominant hand "I guess that is just fair but I would also like to establish that if Lia goes into battle I want to be used each time" Daeni replied with a confident tone, well what would be the use of having two minokens if I only use one at a time "same goes for me" Naru said, I could feel as if both of them were nodding to each other, to tell the truth I don’t have any problem with this conditions "I guess that is alright, also, you don't have to fight for which hand I will use, I am ambidextrous after all" I giggled slightly, and with that it was all set. We walked out of the cave, and there was Dan, running towards my direction with a straight, yet mad face and the only thing I could think of was, Dear lord, I am so dead.


End file.
